There are many voices in the world telling you how you should be marketing your services and offerings on social media. I understand that.
But I am a huge believer in “making your own rules.”
Because, at the end of the day, if what you’re doing isn’t inspiring you, if it doesn’t feel natural, if it doesn’t work with your lifestyle and your schedule… what’s the point?
So instead of a how-to on marketing, here are some questions you can ask yourself that will lead you to creating your own marketing strategy that works for you.
Here’s how it works. Forget what other people are doing for a second, and think about how you want to spend your time. Think about what you have to offer. Don’t think about “marketing.” Think about your life.
Get out a pen and paper (or a blank word doc) and answer these questions for yourself:
What is my social media account for? Aka, why am I on social media and what are my accounts for?
What are my strengths? What do I enjoy sharing with others?
How can I play more to my strengths and to what I already enjoy while sharing my work online?
What kind of content do I actually enjoy creating? (aka if you hate making videos, don’t make videos. Like graphics? Make graphics. Hate stories? Don’t use it.)
What reactions do I want people to have when they see my content/feed? How do I want them to feel? (This is different than what do I want them to see)
Do I feel that way when I look at it or while I’m creating it? If not, how can I get myself feeling that way first? (Aka, are you doing this for yourself or for someone else?)
Consider the features of all the different accounts/platforms I currently use… do I actually want to use all of them, or do I have a sweet spot? What is working best for me right now?
What do I want to be static, that can just sit forever in my feed?
What kind of things do I want to share but are not something I want in my feed forever? Where can I share them instead? (Emails, stories, etc.)
Who am I showing up for?
What kind of things am I willing and open to share about myself and why?
What things will I not be sharing and why?
What do I want to draw attention to?**
What is one thing that would make what I’m already doing easier for me?
After answering these questions, you will have dug down into where you’re at and areas you can focus on that will be more natural for you than trying on the marketing strategies and processes of other people. When we do what’s natural to us, it will automatically feel more effortless and come out more smoothly on the other side.
Read back through your answers and notice your own marketing strategy wanting to emerge. This is your permission slip to do it on your own terms, in a way that works for you and highlights your strengths, in a way that you enjoy.
Your social media will reflect your life + purpose, so it’s okay and actually necessary that it doesn’t look like or follow the same strategies or goals that other people subscribe to. When you begin to treat marketing as anything else you create (meaning, when you do it in a way that is fulfilling and good for you) it will naturally resonate with the people you want to reach. They are looking for someone just like you. So be you.
**Bonus tip**
I have learned over the years that whatever I’m drawing people’s attention to is what they will expect from me. So if you’re not getting the results you’re looking for, maybe really consider the different areas of your business or offering that you’ve drawn attention to recently. When I started looking at it this way, I realized that there have been many times in the past that I’ve drawn attention to things I wasn’t offering… and away from what was actually for sale. Yikes! So always ask yourself, what do I want to draw attention to?